


icarus

by brightsmoon



Series: dear, home. [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Elf!Claudia and Human!Rayla, Elf/Human Relationship(s), F/F, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Sharing a Bed, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, raydiaweek2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-19 06:57:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19969903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightsmoon/pseuds/brightsmoon
Summary: In which Icarus flies too close to the sun but when she falls, she lands somewhere softer than she ever could have imagined.RaydiaWeek2019 - Day 1; Elf!Claudia and Human!Rayla





	icarus

**Author's Note:**

> hERE IT IS MY GUYS, GALS AND NB PALS - THE FIRST DAY OF RAYDIAWEEK2019!! poetroe and i have been looking forward to this since FOREVER and i know we're both excited to participate. the prompts for the week can be found [here](https://twitter.com/qveensarai/status/1154180888038690818) or [here](https://twitter.com/earthbIood/status/1146159600636440576) for anyone interested, not just fic writers!! we're excited to see all kinds of content. 
> 
> title ; [a natural icarus](https://hellopoetry.com/poem/3220424/a-natural-icarus/) by kit scott

She's walking through the forest, bag full of moonberries thumping against her hip with every step as she whistles when a twig snaps and Rayla freezes. The tune dies in her throat as she peers into the darkness.

 _"Hello?_ Anyone there?"

Her heart beats like a jackrabbit in her chest. She takes one step forward, then another, and another, until she can hear pained chirping and breaks into a sprint.

"Hello?"

Rayla once saw a baby bird fall from its nest and break its wing when it hit the ground. The chick had cried out and as young as she was, she had run towards it with no heed to Runaan's cry of her name.

"Help it," she had cried, hands cupped around the frantic thing. The baby bird's heart had been beating quick like a drum against her palm. "Save it, daddy!"

Runaan had crouched, surveyed her for a minute before his eyes softened. "I'll do what I can. Let's go home and show your dad."

She had nodded eagerly and forced herself to walk slowly down to the path to their cottage, careful not to jostle the baby bird. It had settled down by the time Runaan opened the door and Tinker looked up to see a teary-eyed child Rayla holding out her hands.

Her eyes had been big and beseeching. "Help, dad."

Tinker had bustled to collect sticks and tape as she set the baby bird on a blanket Runaan had set on the table. Spring bled into summer and summer into fall, winter came and went. She nurtured the baby bird, teaching to the fly, making sure it was warm and fed.

The following spring, Runaan had told her gently it was time to let the baby bird go and she opened her palms to let it fly away, presumably to its family, wings strong and mended.

She had loved that baby bird - had named it Birdie.

Rayla crashes into the clearing and her breath catches in her throat at the sight. There's a Skywing elf, tangled in a net, writhing against the ground and chirping loudly.

She takes a step forward and a twig snaps underneath her foot. She winces as the Skywing elf whips towards her and screeches loudly.

"It's _okay,_ " she murmurs, holding her hands out in front of her and taking another step. The elf struggles harder before making a hissing-peeping sound. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you."

The elf regards her warily and Rayla comes closer until she can get a closer look at the net. It's fine and transparent - a hunter's trap, most definitely. Set for hawks and eagles, small birds probably.

Not for a Skywing elf.

The elf in question looks feminine, black hair falling around her ribs in an inky black curtain. Her eyes are a shifting purple-green in the sunlight and Rayla's breath catches at her wings.

They're purple and so, so large, large enough to encompass the elf herself. Each feather looks rimmed with gold and silver but she doesn't linger on them because it looks like the wings have been injured in her fall if the pained chirping is anything to go by. Rayla frowns and reaches for her sheath.

Moonberries are hard to find and even harder to cut away from the branches.

"What are you _doing_ all the way out here?" she whispers before pulling the knife from her hip.

Immediately the elf is twisting away, chirping loudly, eyes wide and panicked. Rayla drops the knife and holds her hands out. "Hey! Hey! I'm not gonna hurt you! I have to cut the net, you're hurt!"

As if the elf understands her, she settles but draws her right wing closer. She doesn't look too closely but by the way the elf holds it, she guesses it's that wing that's injured.

She smiles, placing a hand against her chest. "I'm Rayla. I'm gonna get you out, okay? We'll get you patched up, too, but you have to calm down or you'll hurt yourself worse."

The elf regards her before her eyes flick down to the net tangled around her legs and wings and back to Rayla. Her shoulders relax slightly and Rayla's smile widens.

"That's it. Now if I can just get-"

"Claudia."

Rayla starts, looking up. "Did you-"

"Claudia," the elf repeats, eyes shifting. Rayla finds she can't look away as the elf unfolds herself slightly. _"Claudia."_

She smiles.

"Hi, Claudia. Just hold still, okay? I'm almost done."

The elf - Claudia - nods slowly and Rayla saws at the net. It's some kind of rope she's never seen before, woven, thicker than any thread she's seen a hunter net made of.

When the last thread falls away to pool at Claudia's ankles, Rayla slides the knife back into her sheath and stands slowly.

"Can I look at your wing now, Claudia?"

The Skywing elf hesitates before slowly unfurling the wing from her grasp and Rayla smiles reassuringly. "Can you understand me?"

"Rayla," Claudia says quietly. "Rayla help."

She nods. "Yeah, I'm going to help you. Can you come with me?"

"Come?"

Rayla nods again, leaning back from the wing. "Your wing is hurt, bad. I don't think you can fly. Can you move it?"

The wing shifts and Claudia lets out a muffled pained screech. Rayla's heart lurches in her chest and she holds out her hands.

"I can help you if you come with me. I promise I won't hurt you. My dads - they can help you. Please?"

"Come," Claudia murmurs and doesn't pull back when Rayla reaches for her. Hand outstretched, Rayla smiles hoping it's a comforting thing. After a moment, Claudia takes it and four fingers thread into five.

They walk through the forest silently and Rayla doesn't notice she's lost the moonberries fall from the pouch until they're walking up the path and Tinker waves hello from the front garden.

Her dad shades the sun from his eyes. "Found a friend while berry hunting?"

"Yeah," Rayla calls back with a grin and turns to Claudia, hands still intertwined. The Skywing elf had tucked her wings behind her back when they broke through the treeline and came within viewing distance of the cottage. "Lost the berries though."

The door creaks open. "Tinker? Is Rayla back?"

"It's okay," Rayla murmurs, reaching out to snag Claudia's other hand when her eyes dart to the two humans standing in front of the cottage and then back to her, uncertain. "It's okay, Claudia, those are my dads. They can help you get better."

"Help," Claudia echoes. She doesn't look away from Rayla.

She nods. "Help. Are you comfortable meeting them?"

When Claudia doesn't answer, Rayla nudges her shoulder with her own. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you, okay? You're safe. No hunter, just friends."

"Friends?"

"Yeah," she says, the edge of her mouth tilting upwards with the words. "Friends. My dads-" she brings their connected hands over her heart-"Me, Rayla. Friend."

After a moment Claudia sucks in a deep breath and nods. Rayla squeezes her hand and turns around, smile widening into a full grin.

"Runaan, Tinker, this is Claudia. She needs our help."

* * *

Rayla once saw a baby bird fall from its nest and break its wing when it hit the ground. Spring bled into summer and summer into fall, winter came and went. The following spring, Runaan had told her gently it was time to let the baby bird go and she opened her palms to let it fly away, presumably to its family, wings strong and mended.

She had loved that baby bird.

Claudia doesn't leave that following spring, wings strong and mended.

She loves Claudia.

"Stay?" she whispers, the two enveloped in Claudia's wings.

The elf rests her forehead against Rayla's, nods. "Yes."

Claudia loves her.


End file.
